A surfcoast treasure trove; introducing Beach Blokes Recorders 

From a 30-year friendship, to the award-winning House of Rock and the just-launched Beach Blokes Recorders, Matty Orchard and Tim Henwood are cementing their status as guys who give a shit about local music - and have all the skills and knowledge to see that music shared with the world. 

For these two surfcoast Aussie music legends, best mates and massive KISS fans; teaming up to create a recording and production studio for local young musos to kickstart their careers was an easy decision. 

“Tim and I have been in the game, so to speak, for about thirty years,” Matty says. 

 

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“We first came across each other at The Armadale Hotel; a local watering hole and hotbed for up-and-coming bands in the late 80s/early 90s. Tim went on to play in some of the biggest bands in the land (The Androids, Rogue Traders, Jon Stevens, Suzi Quattro,

Noiseworks and Superjesus), and I became a working muso with more than 4000 gigs under my belt in the last 25 years. 

“We hooked up again around 2008 when I was on the committee of The Apollo Bay Music Festival and I helped slot his band, Palace Of The King, into the artist roster for that year. Shortly after that, I needed a duo partner for some acoustic gigs so I called him up. 

“The idea was that there was no rehearsal, no set list and that we would simply play song for song, sharing lead vocals. It went well, we had some natural chemistry, possibly aided by the fact that we are both massive KISS fans. The combo became known as The Beach Blokes and was a cool, under-the-radar gig when Tim wasn’t on the road with the big guns. 

“It turned out that we had also both independently developed a love for the studio on the other side of the desk, in terms of recording and production, and had a thorough knowledge of Protools, which eventually led to working in the studio together.” 

Matty has been teaching at at Apollo Bay P-12 College since 1999, and the House Of Rock music program has been an incredibly valued institution for more than a decade of that time, a passion that led him to recieve the 2022 ARIA Award for Music Teaching.

Tim has last year joined the teaching team at the College, tutoring students and delighting them (and their parents) with his presence as a bonafide rock star – reports Matty. 

“Our principal at the time became aware of a school grant available for I.T., but he was way into the arts and approached me about whether I thought I.T. would include studio gear… of course I replied in the affirmative. 

“I called my good friend and Platinum Award-winning engineer, Mat-Gearing-Thomas, and asked him to source and build “the best man cave studio you can with the budget.” 

“From there we were able to use $90,000 on quality studio gear and retro-fitted the existing music room with a studio control room, eventually christening it, The House Of Rock.”  

The studio is just one, albeit important, part of Beach Blokes Recorders (BBR). Matty and Tim work between the Apollo Bay studio and Medici Studios in Geelong, bringing through young bands keen to get started on recording their music, outside of their makeshift home studios. 

“We’ve had dozens of bands through the room, many of whom were studying VET Music at Apollo Bay P-12 College. Names like The Fillmores, The Refuge and Lina Music have all recorded there and gone on to be successful bands in the Victorian scene. More recently the Beach Blokes have been working with acts such as Insufficient Funds and Sugargum who are both ripper outfits,” Tim said. 

“These days it’s super common to be able to record in the comfort of a living room and there are plenty of different home recording set-ups available. It’s a totally viable way of doing it and, once you’re set up, a relatively inexpensive option to get your stuff out there.

“However, the advantage of recording in a fully set up studio is having access to world-class gear, including dozens of different types of mics, pre-amps, quality compressors and more, and rooms designed with superior sonics in mind.” 

 

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With the added gold of Matty and Tim’s decades of experience as seasoned musicians and producers/engineers behind the mixing board, you’ve hit the jackpot when it comes to accessible, local support.  

“We’ve learnt a few tricks here and there, there probably isn’t an onstage or recording situation I haven’t lived through,” Matty says. 

“It’s a simple process, take Sugargum for example; the band initially reached out via word of mouth about recording a single. 

“We did some basic pre-production and then headed into Medici in early December.  

“As they were really well-rehearsed, the lads recorded their debut track, ‘Loose Socket’, in a single day and it was released at the beginning of January. 

“We often record the basic tracking of a song; drums, bass, keyboards, guitars, at Medici and then do final vocals and harmonies at The House Of Rock. This is made easy by the fact that sending entire recording sessions via email is second nature these days.” 

In addition to the BBR offerings, the duo have teamed up with Forte Magazine to offer a press package deal – opportunities for interviews, song reviews and more when you work with BBR.  

“It’s a fantastic way to help build momentum and spread the word quickly around the industry via a trusted source of street press,” Matty says.

It’s too good to pass up, check out The Beach Blokes recorders at https://www.beachblokesrecorders.com/.  

Words by Frankie Anderson-Byrne